Chapter 39: The System's Notes 1
The system spoke cryptically to Nolan, who could only nod in the end.
He didn't care much for the charm stats and didn't find them attention-grabbing enough, which was why he wasn't that curious about them.
The night passed quickly, yet when Wiro opened his eyes and looked around his small secret hideout, he found nothing but his usual rough living room setting.
This caused him to stretch his gaze toward the mirror, where the figure of Nolan reclined on the wooden pillars that held the front part of the small house.
"He was out throughout the night!?" Wiro mused in slight shock
With a simple shrug, he headed off to his bathroom, cleaning himself up and preparing for class."
"Less than three hours later, the door to the house was opened, causing Nolan's eyes to slowly open as he felt footsteps walking past him, stopping for a second.
Nolan slowly rose ho his head and turned to look at him.
"Don't worry, your secret is safe with me..." Wiro said with a grin and a wink before quickly jogging off into the woods.
Soon, he disappeared completely from Nolan's sight.
Now only Nolan remained within the woods, with the noise of chirping insects and birds to keep him company.
"What a strange guy," He mused out loud before rising to his feet and stretching his bones.
Having to nap without being sprawled on the ground was just a little less worse than being in hell, and Nolan finally got to enter the small living room.
One word could describe it, and that was 'messy,' something Nolan hated with a passion.
With a quick jog around, he piled things up a bit, cleared out rubbish, and wiped off soot and dust in the living room.
The small sofas and tables weren't even in a perfect arrangement, but Nolan didn't touch them.
They weren't his to determine.
Just a little past 9:00, he was finally done with what he ought to do, leaving him with a single thought.
[You're finally ready for the God King Trial?] the system asked, and Nolan nodded deeply.
He knew well that the trial was his only choice for surviving whatever was coming for him in a few days.
Just as Wiro had said, he couldn't really hide here forever, as that would not only stunt his growth, but he would be discovered eventually.
Hiding would just be delaying the inevitable, so therefore, he had no choice but to risk the only option that could help him wave the death flag off his neck, and that was none other than taking the God King Trial.
[It seems you're really serious about this. Not like you have a choice anyway, but still, it's pretty good and not peasantry-like.]
"Oh, thank you. Now can we get to the test?" Nolan asked the system, trying to weave through its abuse.
[Ok, ok. Before we do, there are a few things I must warn you about,] it began, and Nolan listened intently.
[First is the fact that I won't be able to help you in this test.]
[I won't be able to follow you in, so you will receive none of my help.]
[There will be no level-up or quest for you to increase your strength, so you'll have to use your own brain and your current strength to complete it.]
[There will likely be no outside help also.] The system said, causing Nolan's eyes to furrow, but he wasn't that much bothered and simply nodded.
He also wasn't expecting much help in the first place was he the one to believe in help.
[Secondly, what will be doing the trial won't be your physical body but your soul itself.]
[It will be transported into the trial ground, but you will still possess the bodily attributes of your physical body.]
[Still, that gives two problems.]
[The first is that you will be in a deep sleep during the entire trial for its entire duration.]
[You will be unable to react or communicate with the outside world, and even if your body is being sliced up, you would be unresponsive.]
[So do you really trust that Bully boy not to do anything stupid to you during your trial?]
[Do you believe the next time you open your eyes, whether it's five minutes later or five years later, you will still be in this room, well and alive, with no marks or injuries?]
[If not, then I'll advise you to go and find a better place where your body can remain without getting disturbed. That's the first problem.] The system said to Nolan, whose eyes flashed, but he continued listening nonetheless.
[The second problem is the fact that since it is your soul that will be partaking in the trial, failing the trial, which is accomplishable by dying or getting trapped, would mean your soul dying or also getting trapped.]
[What happens if your soul leaves, it will be in a semi-conscious state. Not dead, not alive.]
[But once you die in the trial and your soul fades off completely, what would happen?]
[You guessed right!]
[You will be deader than dead in real life too. So this really is a double-edged sword. There's almost no difference in it being that your physical body is present there too.]
[o don't die, Nolan, and don't get trapped.]
[Your soul can only be in your body for some time.]
[If you get trapped for ten years and your body rots away, even if you complete the trial, you would have a bone for a body, and I don't know how messed up that will be, but it's probably something I would avoid.]
[So not only do you have to complete the trial fast before your body evaporates, but you also have to avoid death within the trial, or you will face death too!]
The system warned, and this time Nolan could sense how grave its voice was.
It was clear the system didn't want him to die, and that melted his heart but also gave rise to a question that piqued his curiosity.
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